MENIFEE: Parent files complaint against school district

He's unhappy with handling of racial slur

The parent of a black student at Heritage High School has filed
a complaint against the Perris high school district over its
handling of an incident in which he said another parent overheard a
student using a racial slur.

Matthew Morgan called a news conference Tuesday at the Perris
Union High School District headquarters in Perris, where he was
joined by his wife and in-laws. He said about 40 other parents and
community members support him, although no others were present at
the conference.

Morgan, who describes himself as a parent advocate, has a son
who is a junior at Heritage and was not involved in the
incident.

Morgan issued a written statement that his group hopes to
"resolve the hostile educational environment against blacks by
Heritage High administration regarding the slurring of the word
N----r/N---a on campus."

While Morgan is concerned about the use of racial slurs on the
Menifee campus, he said his complaint is more in reaction to how
the slur was handled, saying such language is inappropriately
allowed at the school.

"Students do anything they're allowed to do," Morgan said
Tuesday. "I'm more concerned not about the students, but the
administration."

Morgan said he has not been satisfied by meetings with Principal
Julie Zierold or other administrators.

"There have been a lot of talking points, but nothing
meaningful," Morgan said. "If (Zierold) had been direct, we
wouldn't be standing here today. There's been no good-faith effort
on her part to resolve this."

Zierold contends that is not true. In addition to dealing with
the students at the time, the school has started a multicultural
committee and teachers have undergone sensitivity training, she
said.

"He wants it to be handled the way he wants it to be handled,"
Zierold said of Morgan.

About 9 percent of Heritage's 2,700 students are black. Latino
students make up more than 56 percent of the student body and
whites number 31 percent.

District Superintendent Jonathan Greenberg said he had been
rebuffed in efforts to meet with Morgan to seek a solution.

The complaint filed Friday by Morgan and his wife, Vanessa,
states "This complaint is toward Superintendent Dr. Greenberg and
Heritage High Principal Julie Zierold for ... encouraging
discriminatory practices as defined by state law ... against Black
Parents at Heritage High and Perris High School District."

In the complaint, Morgan asks for, among other things, a proper
investigation of the incident and an apology letter from Zierold
and Greenberg.

The incident that triggered the complaint dates to October 2009,
when Morgan said a black parent was visiting the campus to discuss
her daughter's academic performance with administrators. One of her
concerns was that her daughter frequently heard racial slurs toward
blacks from Latino and white students, he said.

According to Morgan's complaint, "As she entered the campus a
Hispanic yelled in front of the parent, 'Hey N---a let me talk to
you.'"

Zierold said the boys were talking to each other and not
directing the slur toward the parent.

The complaint claims an assistant principal, when apprised of
the matter, told the mother, "Well, kids talk that way these
days."

"That's not what happened," Zierold said. "I think it was a
little bit of a misunderstanding of what was said. (The incident)
was taken care of. It was not ignored."

Greenberg, who was not at that meeting, said he would be shocked
and disappointed if one of his administrators answered the concern
in that way.

"When those words are used, they're dealt with at school," he
said. "We're going to be reactive to it. I don't believe that word
is condoned."

Following the incident, but not in answer to it, the school
formed a multicultural advisory committee to "ensure the
educational, social and economic equality of the rights of all
students and to eliminate race-based discrimination."

Greenberg said the committee is a way to deal with issues
proactively.

He said the committee can deal with all issues involving
diversity, whether it be race, language, sexual orientation or
discrimination based on how a student looks.

While Morgan said having the committee is a good idea, he was
hoping the school would form a black parents alliance to address
the use of racial slurs on campus.

Greenberg said Morgan is welcome to form such a committee, but
it wouldn't be sanctioned by the school.

"I think that creates a bigger division rather than getting
everybody working together," Zierold said. "We really wanted to
make (the committee) something the whole school can participate
in."

Greenberg said teens do make offensive comments, but he doesn't
believe the atmosphere at Heritage is different from neighboring
schools.

He said the role of the school in such cases includes punishment
and education.

"We're a school. We should be about educating kids," Greenberg
said. "You can't just punish your way out of a problem."

Morgan's complaint was made to the governing board, which has
yet to decide how it will be investigated, Greenberg said.